FORMER Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has backed Djibril Cisse to make a full recovery from his double leg fracture.

Houllier, who agreed the #14million signing of Cisse from Auxerre prior to parting company with the club in the summer, believes the player has the character to bounce back from this disappointment and cited Barcelona striker Henrik Larsson as a positive example to follow.

The Swede suffered a similar injury while at Celtic but made a full recovery and, if anything, improved as he became a prolific goalscorer for the Hoops and came out of retirement to play for Sweden at Euro 2004 before joining Barca.

"Cisse can definitely come back. He's a man of heart and of mental strength, he's a good competitor and a fighter and he will overcome it," Houllier said.

"You could name examples of players who didn't recover but Henrik Larsson is a good example and a good name to tell him.

"He came back stronger, scored goals and played for the national team again and is now with Barcelona."